I fought the princess thing as hard as I could with Alice. Growing up, I wasn't into princesses or fairy tales. I did have baby dolls, paper dolls, an Easy Bake Oven, the usual. But for some reason, crowns and kissing frogs weren't a part of my play world.

I'm a sucker for nostalgia and want Alice to love the things I loved. It's selfish, really. An odd way to control a little child's world.

This little girl of mine loves sparkly, purple, twirly, princess girlie things. My friend Katie gave her these princess pajamas for Christmas and Alice would wear them every night if I let her.

The kids are teaching me to let go of the control. It's a small start.